Comparative tear concentrations over time of ofloxacin and tobramycin in human eyes

The pharmacokinetic profiles of 0.3% ofloxacin and 0.3% tobramycin ophthalmic solutions after multiple administrations in the eyes of 160 healthy volunteers were evaluated. In human tears, ofloxacin and tobramycin were found to have terminal half-lives of 226 and 154 minutes, respectively. The mean residence time in the ocular tear fluid was 326 minutes for ofloxacin and 106 minutes for tobramycin. The mean duration of time that ofloxacin remained above the MIC90 value for five bacterial species evaluated was 605 minutes, compared with 251 minutes for tobramycin. The mean area under the inhibitory curve for the five bacterial species evaluated was greater for ofloxacin (2224) compared with tobramycin (1549). The duration of time above the MIC90 for ofloxacin was longer compared with tobramycin for gram-positive isolates. Overall, the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles of ofloxacin were superior to those of tobramycin for most parameters studied.